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Sandhu seeks Centre’s intervention in setting up military academy at Anandpur Sahib
Satnam Singh Sandhu had sought details of steps taken by the government to introduce school students to icons of Sikhism and steps taken by the government to popularise stories/ biographies of freedom fighters from Punjab among school students.
The textbooks developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have eight chapters and mentions about state of Punjab in primary textbooks.
This was stated by minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary while replying to a question by Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu in Parliament.
Sandhu had sought details of steps taken by the government to introduce school students to icons of Sikhism and steps taken by the government to popularise stories/ biographies of freedom fighters from Punjab among school students.
Chaudhary said these chapters are there in the history textbook for Class 7 in the form of chapter No. 6, ‘A Closer Look: Baba Guru Nanak’, and Chapter No. 8, ‘The Sikhs’ (page No. 100).
The minister said more chapters are there on Sikhs and Punjab history in the history textbook for Class 8 in form of chapter No. 2, ‘Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ (page No. 19) and Chapter No. 7, ‘The Singh Sabha Movement’ (page No. 91), Chapter No. 8 and Lala Lajpat Rai (page No. 98), Jallianwala Bagh (page No. 100), and Bhagat Singh (page No. 104).
The minister said education is part of concurrent list in the Constitution and the states and UTs have their own contextual curriculum to highlight the above issues.
Sandhu also raised the issue of military training academy at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.
Raising this issue of military training academy at Anandpur Sahib in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Sandhu asked for Centre’s intervention for setting up the military academy, which was announced on April 8, 1999, by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the 300th anniversary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib.
“Anandpur Sahib city holds great historical significance for the Punjabi community and the Sikhs. Anandpur Sahib is closely connected to the Sikh religion’s teachings and traditional spiritual value system. It is one amongst the five most sacred places of Sikhs. It’s here that Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa Panth on Vaisakhi in 1699,” the MP said highlighting the significance of Anandpur Sahib. He said lakhs of pilgrims from across the world come to pay obeisance at Takhat Shri Kesgarh Sahib gurdwara every year. Anandpur Sahib’s Hola Mohalla festival is famous worldwide.
“Vajpayee promised to establish a defence academy in this holy city back in 1999 but later this matter was put on the back burner and since then it has been lying pending,” Sandhu said.
